Field of the Invention
The disclosed and claimed concept relates to a unitary forward mounting assembly of a bodymaker and, more particularly, to a unitary forward mounting body.
Background Information
Generally, a can, such as but not limited to an aluminum can or steel can, begins as a sheet of metal from which a circular blank is cut. Hereinafter, the can will be described as being made from aluminum, but it is understood that the selection of material is not limiting upon the claims. The blank is formed into a “cup.” As used herein, a “cup” includes a bottom and a depending sidewall. Further, while cups and the resulting can bodies may have any cross-sectional shape, the most common cross-sectional shape is generally circular. Accordingly, while it is understood that the cups and the resulting can bodies may have any cross-sectional shape, the following description shall describe the cups, can bodies, punches, etc. as being generally circular.
The cup is fed into a bodymaker including a reciprocating ram and a number of dies. The elongated ram includes a punch at the distal end. A cup is disposed on the punch and passed through the dies which thin and elongate the cup. That is, the ram moved between a rearward, first position and a forward, second position. On each forward stroke of the ram, a cup is initially positioned in front of the ram. The cup is disposed over the forward end of the ram, and more specifically on the punch located at the front end of the ram. The cup is then passed through the dies which further form the cup into a can body. The first die is the redraw die. That is, a cup has a diameter that is greater than the resulting can. A redraw die reshapes the cup so that the cup has a diameter generally the same as the resulting can body. The redraw die does not effectively thin the thickness of the cup sidewall. After passing through the redraw die, the ram moves through a tool pack having a number of ironing dies. As the cup passes through the ironing dies, the cup is elongated and the sidewall is thinned. More specifically, the die pack has multiple, spaced dies, each die having a substantially circular opening. Each die opening is slightly smaller than the next adjacent upstream die.
Thus, when the punch draws the cup through the first die, the redraw die, the aluminum cup is deformed over the substantially cylindrical punch. As the cup moves through the redraw die, the diameter of the cup, i.e., the diameter of the bottom of the cup, is reduced. Because the openings in the subsequent dies in the die pack each have a smaller inner diameter, i.e., a smaller opening, the aluminum cup, and more specifically the sidewall of the cup, is thinned as the ram moves the aluminum through the rest of the die pack. The thinning of the cup also elongates the cup.
Further, the distal end of the punch is concave. At the maximum extension of the ram is a “domer.” The domer has a generally convex dome and a shaped perimeter. As the ram reaches its maximum extension, the bottom of the cup engages the domer. The bottom of the cup is deformed into a dome and the bottom perimeter of the cup is shaped as desired; typically angled inwardly so as to increase the strength of the can body and to allow for the resulting cans to be stacked. After the cup passes through the final ironing die and contacts the domer, it is a can body.
On the return stroke, the can body is removed from the punch. That is, as the ram moves backwardly through the tool pack, the can body contacts a stationary stripper which prevents the can body from being pulled backward into the tool pack and in effect removes the can body from the punch. In addition to the stripper, a short blast of air may be introduced through the inside of the punch to aid in can body removal. After the ram moves back to an initial position, a new cup is positioned in front of the ram and the cycle repeats. Following additional finishing operations, e.g., trimming, washing, printing, etc., the can body is sent to a filler which fills the can body with product. A top is then coupled to, and sealed against, the can body, thereby completing the can.
One type of bodymaker includes a generally horizontal ram. That is, the ram body extends, and moves, generally horizontally. In this configuration, a first end of the ram body is coupled to a drive assembly and the punch is disposed at the second end. The forming operations described above generally occur near, or at, the ram body second end. To accomplish the forming operations, the die pack, domer assembly, cup feed assembly, stripper assembly, can body take-away assembly as well as other elements are coupled to the bodymaker by a forward mounting assembly.
It is understood that due to the speed of the bodymaker and the narrow tolerances between the dies and the ram, the ram body must be precisely aligned with the die pack. Similarly, other elements coupled to the forward mounting assembly must be precisely positioned relative to the other elements of the bodymaker. If not, the ram/punch will contact the die pack, or other elements thereby damaging all the elements involved in the impact.
Generally, the forward mounting assembly includes a cradle element into which the die pack is disposed. Two support arms are coupled to the forward end of the cradle element. The support arms support the domer assembly. To ensure that the cradle element is properly positioned relative to the ram, the coupling surfaces, i.e., where the elements are mated, on the cradle element and the support arms are machined to have specific dimensions. The installation of the cradle element on the bodymaker includes an alignment process. That is, the cradle element is installed and selected measurements are taken. If the cradle element is not properly aligned, shims or similar constructs are installed at the coupling surface. The measurements are retaken to determine if a proper alignment has been achieved. If not, the alignment process is repeated. Typically, this alignment process is repeated many times before the cradle element is properly aligned. Once the cradle is installed, the support arms are also coupled to the cradle element. That is, the machined coupling surfaces of the support arms are coupled to the machined coupling surfaces of the cradle element. The installation of the support arms also requires an alignment process. Typically, this alignment process is also repeated many times.
Thus, there are several problems with the present forward mounting assembly. First, the various elements such as, but not limited to, the cradle element and support arms must be mated and aligned. Second, the installation process is time consuming and a mistake in the alignment process can cause serious damage to the bodymaker. Further, assembling the forward mounting assembly at the bodymaker occupies space in an industrial area where other workers and/or other equipment is in operation. This is not an optimal procedure as the workers and equipment required to assemble the forward mounting assembly interfere with other operations. There is, therefore, a need for a forward mounting assembly that is not subject to these problems.